Basement Waterproofing Costs

What Does It Cost to Waterproof a Basement?

This varies, depending on the size of your basement and the type of drainage needed.  In general, over the last 12 months, our customers have paid an average between $5700-$7100.

How Do You Calculate Your Basement Waterproofing Costs?

Any contractor you work with should be able to give you a reliable estimate of cost for waterproofing your basement.  But if you would like to get a ballpark number for yourself, you’ll need to know the linear footage of your basement.

Please don’t confuse this with square footage- that’s a different measurement, used to determine how much paint or flooring you need.  Linear footage is the distance around the perimeter of your basement.  To calculate linear footage, measure the length of each wall, then add them together.

Once you know the linear footage, you next have to determine which type of drainage track.

1. Water Tunnel is shaped like an upside down U.  It goes directly on top of your home’s footer, with the footer making the bottom of the tunnel.  This type of drainage usually costs $67-$81 per linear foot.
2. Fast Track drainage is a rectangular shape, with slits cut into it on all four sides.  This is used if your home does not have a footer, or there are problems with your footer.  This type of drainage is more expensive, ranging from $76-$92 per foot.
3. Once you’ve calculated your approximate cost for drainage, then you need to add the sump pump, which runs between $2800 and $3500. This price covers the installation of the pit, pump, drainage line, and battery backup system.

What Can Increase Your Cost?

When you look around your basement, you may find some issues that are going to add to the waterproofing cost.

1. Sump Pump Capacity:  If the water table in your area is naturally high, you may need to add an additional sump pump, or to install a heavy-duty model.
2. Dehumidifier:  Similarly, if the humidity level in your home is high, a whole-house dehumidifier may be an essential component.  Total cost (including installation) is $2175-2650.
3. Additional drainage:  Any cracks in your basement floor will need to be repaired.  If they are hairline-thin and not letting in water, sealant may be enough to fill them.  But if they are wide, or water is seeping in, your best option may be to open the crack and install additional drainage track.
4. Wall encapsulation: we review the pricing next.

Costs For Additional Services

Mold Treatment

If there is mold growing in your basement, you should have that cleaned and treated. 

Under most circumstances, we use a two-part process. The first step is to apply a treatment that kills the mold growth.  Once that is done, we apply a sealant over the affected area to prevent new development.  In extreme cases, the area may need to be scraped before the kill treatment can be applied.

The costs for treatment can vary a great deal, depending on how much surface area is affected, as well as how severely.  Treatment costs are priced per square foot; for example, sealant options vary from $2-$4 per foot.

In the last twelve months, our customers have paid between $2350-$4700 for mold treatment. 

Basement Encapsulation

Once you have a water drainage system installed, basement encapsulation can be completed.  There are two parts to encapsulation.  The white cap that The Foundation Repairers use is a polyurethane membrane interlaced with high-density fibers.  This encapsulation material is the strongest and most puncture-resistant on the market.   And since it’s inorganic, it will not support mold.

White cap is installed throughout the space, covering all of the walls.  The seams are sealed, and the white cap is secured at the top of the walls.

For the average basement, the cost ranges from $3875-$5200.

The second component of encapsulation is a whole house dehumidifier.  This is necessary because managing the water outside the encapsulation does not guarantee a 100% dry space inside the encapsulation.

I’m writing this from the Midwest, and I assure you that here we have frequent temperature and humidity changes.  These fluctuations cause significant amounts of condensation to gather on your HVAC system, duct pipes, water and drain pipes- even on the floor itself.  In the Midwest, a dehumidifier is strongly recommended with or without encapsulation.

Once your basement is sealed with white cap, the moisture that develops inside is trapped.  This is going to recreate many of the problems you intended to stop by waterproofing your basement!  But a quality whole-house dehumidifier will remove this moisture and clean the air circulated throughout your home.  The cost to install a dehumidifier is $2175-2650, covers up to 5,000 square feet, and has a 5-year manufacturer’s warranty.